Rosemary and Olive Oil Mashed Sweet Potatoes

True story – I used to not like sweet potatoes. Well, I thought I didn’t like sweet potatoes. What I discovered in my twenties is that I didn’t like sweet sweet potatoes. You know, the ones that look more like dessert on the Thanksgiving table. Then we were invited to a friend’s house for dinner and they were serving sweet potatoes. Not wanting to be rude I took a few and much to my surprise – I loved them. Roasted chunks of sweet potato drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper, and rosemary. It was like a perfect marriage of flavors.

Nowadays I like all forms of sweet potatoes, even the sweet ones I didn’t like when I was younger, but I still have a special spot in my heart for the flavor combination that changed everything. So when I was brainstorming new ways to feature sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, I knew this would be a winner. I am super happy with the way these mashed sweet potatoes turned out. Soft and fluffy with the yummy flavors that I love. So, if you’re looking for a way to savory up your Thanksgiving sweet potatoes, look no further!

Directions
Steam sweet potatoes until fork tender. Add the kosher salt (start with smaller amount and add the rest later if you think it needs it). Using a hand mixer on the lowest speed, start to “mash” the potatoes for about 30-45 seconds. Add the milk and olive oil and mix until it reaches your desired consistency. Alternatively you can use a hand masher for the entire process. Stir in the fresh rosemary and black. Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt.

*The recipe as written yields 3-4 servings. If you use this recipe for Thanksgiving you will probably want to double it!

**You will notice that I use a lot of ranges in this recipe, that’s because you MUST do taste and texture tests along the way. I can not stress enough how important it is to taste as you go when you are making any kind of mashed potato! What only took 2 tablespoons of milk one time may take 3 tablespoons the next time because of variations in the potatoes. Taste, taste, taste, and taste! Also, please don’t whip and beat your potatoes into a sticky gummy mess just because a recipe says to mix for 45 seconds. Watch the potatoes breakdown and mix just until you get your perfect consistency.

Comments

We are sweet potato kindred spirits, Jessica! I’m not even joking, I have almost this exact post written for the mashed sweet potato recipe I am posting sometime in the next week. I talk about how I used to not like sweet potatoes, then I tried some that weren’t ‘sweet’ sweet potatoes, etc. LOL! I love it. I will be sure to link to your recipe when I post. This is too funny. Oh, and I am SO trying out this version!!

That is so funny!!”Sweet” potatoes are just SCREAMING to be made savory, in my opinion. 🙂 I wonder how many people in this world have been tricked into thinking they don’t like sweet potatoes because they’ve only ever had them covered in brown sugar and butter?! Can’t wait to see what you came up with!

You can boil, if you want to, but I feel like boiling gives sweet potatoes a weird texture. I have a pot that is meant for steaming (looks kind of like a colander on top of a big pot, like this). Another option is to microwave the sweet potato cubes.

Hi! I’m Jessica. I love cooking, baking, eating, and talking about food. My goal is to make cooking and baking, even from scratch, seem approachable. If I can give just one person the boost they need to try something new in the kitchen, I’ll be happy.